The assembly process for automotive vehicles includes a variety of manual work processes to be performed by workers at various assembly stations positioned along an assembly line. Each vehicle family manufactured on the assembly line can be designed with various powertrain options, body styles, trim levels, accessories, or other features that drive different components and different work processes. The individual options or components for a given vehicle can be based, for example, on an order received from an automotive dealer planning to sell a vehicle with a specific set of options through a vehicle sales system.
Given the unique options and components possible for a vehicle family, each vehicle being built on the assembly line requires its own set of build instructions containing information regarding the work processes that need to be performed at the various assembly stations. The build instructions are historically stored within a vehicle build system. The build instructions are then printed and attached to the vehicle for reference at each assembly station.
A complete list of components to be installed according to the build instructions is also required for each vehicle, for example, in the form of a build sheet. A plant inventory system designed to keep track of the components needed for each vehicle can store multiple build sheets identifying the components to be installed in various vehicles traveling the assembly line. Historically, each build sheet was also printed and attached to a vehicle for use in identifying the components to be installed according to the build instructions.
Assembly plants also include a vehicle location system which can identify the position of each vehicle within the assembly plant, for example, at one of the assembly stations. A vehicle location system can read a vehicle identification number (VIN) off of the vehicle directly or use a copy of the build instructions or build sheet to identify a vehicle. Each of the above systems, that is, the vehicle sales system, the vehicle build system, the plant inventory system, and the vehicle location system, can provide unique information about a vehicle. However, no system exists to compile the information from these various information sources in a user-friendly manner that assists the plant worker and improves the assembly process.